4/5 ★ – WrathofBen's review of Medal of Honor: Rising Sun.

I really wasn’t expecting this to knock Frontline out as hard as it did, but WOW! Talk about a sequel that improves on (almost) everything from the previous game! Let’s get into it. The game opens up during the attack on Pearl Harbor, which I’ve never seen in a video game before. The first two missions really put into perspective how much of a surprise and gut punch this attack was, and how crippling it was to our fleet. The entire rest of the game is essentially a revenge tale of that dreaded day. You’re only recruited into the OSS 6 missions in, out of 9 missions. Most of the game is carrying out attack operations against the Japanese. The Japanese are not enemies to scoff at. This new change in enemy is huge for this game, as it gives opponents new tactics to use against you. Between bonsai attacks to hiding in trees and even bushes, this game feels like a true predecessor to Call of Duty: World at War. Of course, there is one level where you sneak into a German compound (complete with Giacchino’s classic theme). Speaking of music, this is the first score not composed by Giacchino. Christopher Lennertz takes the reins this time around, and he does not disappoint. He borrows themes from previous games, as well as create his own powerful moments. I know his work mainly from Mass Effect, so to hear something completely different is refreshing. Sound design in general is superb in this game, as well as visuals and animations (especially on PS2). For the first time in MoH console history, you can save your game mid-mission. These were a LIFESAVER! The missions are no longer divided into multiple levels, but rather 9 LARGE missions. I love this, because the level designers add so much variety to accomplish your objectives, as well as new bonus objectives and collectibles. There’s a level that takes place in a foggy forest that I swear I could’ve explored all day. That’s how good the level design is here. The final level on the aircraft carrier is also really fluid to play, and feels great! I really couldn’t put this game down, the level design was just that good. Weapons are all really effective in this game, except for the LMGs. I didn’t mention this in my Frontline review, but the devs ruined the shotgun in that game. Enemies would take 5 slugs before dying sometimes. POINT BLANK!!! Here, the shotgun is fixed and is amazing, but LMGs pack such a little lunch, it’s a wonder why they were even added to the game in the first place. I rarely used them over my Sten Mk. II or Thompson. Other than that, this game’s weapon variety feels great! This game also does away with loading screen messages. Instead, there are full-motion video cutscenes between levels. These honestly look pretty solid, outside of a few derpy faces. It helps tell the story better than the written notes in between levels. However, the menu interface took a hit in this one. Away are the interactive items in a war room. Instead, you are on the bridge of a carrier, and the menu is a generic box with text. Kinda sad they ditched a MoH staple here, but oh well! They at least made up for it with new controller layout options, as well as the ability to map your own button layouts from scratch. Some modern games don’t even have this today, so this is a VERY welcomed addition. I played this game all the way on Medium with no real issues. In fact, the first 2/3 of the game are probably TOO easy. And towards the end, enemies were just spongier and had heavier weapons sometimes. Nothing too crazy difficult, just annoying to kill. Medal of Honor: Rising Sun is a vast improvement from Frontline for me. I know me saying that is a sin to much of the MoH community, but sorry! That’s just how I feel. Level design, narrative, and gameplay all get huge upgrades here, and I never found myself getting bored or tired of the game. I beat this within 24 hours of beating Frontline, that’s how much I couldn’t put this game down. This, to me, is the highlight MoH game on console so far. 8/10, really enjoyed myself with this one, and welcomed most of the changes brought in. I’m excited to see where the other PS2 titles go from here after I finish Pacific Assault on PC!